Improvement in gang-plows



J. L. RUINK.

Gang Plow.'v No 41,543 Patented Feb. 16, 1864.

rz Z E1 N. PETERS, FNTOLITHOGRAFMER. WASHINGTON. D4 C.

' j UNITED STATES VPATENT OFFICE.

J. L. RUNK, OF NASHVILLE, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN GANG-PLOWS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 4l ,643, dated February 16, 1864.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, J. L. RUNK, of Nashville, county of Washington, State of Illinois, have invented a new andImproved Gang- Plow; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and'exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of t-his specification, in which- Figure l is a side elevation with a portion of the axle-tree and hounds removed. Fig. 2 is a topviewofthemachinecomplete. Fig.3shows Vthe mode ot attaching the hounds and seatporting the machine from one place to another.

The object of myinvention is to applyleverage to the plow-frame in such manner that the plowman, who is also the driver, can raise or depress his plows with less labor thanl hitherto.

It also has for its object the more firm attachment of the plows to the swinging beams thereof, at the saine time providing for the v'ertical adjustment of the plows and for regulating the pitch of their points, while their standards are secured to their beams.

It also has for its object the construction and application of the frame of the machine to an extensible axle-tree in such manner that the plows can be adjusted laterally with respect to the furrow-wheel for running into the land at any required distance, all as will be hereinafter described.

To enable others skilled in the art to make apd use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

The two carriage-wheels A A are placed on an axle-tree, B, which consists of a long slotted piece, a, and a short piece, b, which is secured on top of the former by means of aclip, b', and also the screw-bolts which secure the hounds to the axle-tree. This short portion b of the axle carries on its outer end the landwheel A', or that wheel which runs on the unplowed ground, While the opposite end ofthe axle-#the portion L -carries the wheel which runs in the furrows orover the plowed ground.

The hounds C are secured at their rear forked ends to the top of the axle-tree portion a 4by means of screw-bolts d d, which pass upward through oblong slots d', made thrpugh the portion a, and enter the hounds O, as shown in Fig. 3, and as the inner end of the short portion b of the axle is niortised into one fork of the hounds the screw-bolts cl d secure this piece b, together with the hounds, to the axle-tree portion c. The two forward orcontracted ends of the houndsOare secured rigidly to the draftpole O,the rear end of which extends back beyond the point of its connection with the hounds, for the purpose of receiving a transverse rod, e, which forms a pivot attachment of the forward ends of the parallel plow-beams D D with the hounds and draft-pole, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Between thepivoted plow beamsDD, which extend over the axle and some distance in rear thereof, I have erected a standard, E, upon the upper end of which the spring f, which supports the diivers seat-,is rigidly secured. This standard is secured in a perpendicular position to the axletree portion a by means of a screw-bolt, g, which passes upward into tenonprojections ofthe standard E. The tenons on this standard E enter an oblong longitudinal slot, g', for the purpose of allowing this standard to be adjusted laterally when the hounds and short piece l) are adjusted. The standard E is slotted or bifurcated at its upper and lower ends, and within these vertical openings pnlleys or groovcd rollers h h are pivoted. These pulleys h h receive around them an endless chain,c, which is attached in any suitable manner in rear of the standard E to the pivoted plow-beams D D. The chain i is again attached to a lever, G, which is pivoted to the axle of the lower pulley, h. This lever extends upward in front of standard E to a convenient point for the driver, who sits in seat f', to operate upon it. Lever G is allowed to have a lateral play sufficient to disengage a pin, j, from holes which are made through a curved bar, Bf, which is used for the purpose of receiving pin j and holding lever G at any desired point. A spring, 7c, on lever Gr presses against a curved guard on bar H and keeps the pin j in and lever G in place, except when it is desired to raise or depress the rear end of the plow-beams, when this spring k will yield and allow the driver to adjust the lever Gr. By this arrangement and combination of pulleys and a lever with an endless chain I obtain a great leverage for raising the plows from the ground and enable the driver to effect this operation with very little expenditure of force.

The endless chain t', which is attached respectively to the plow-beams D D' and to the lever Gr, serves to divide the weight of the plowbeams and plows on each side ofthe pulleys, and by making this chain of sufficient length it will not interfere with the rising and falling motions of the plows when the machine is in operation.

The Semi-elliptical spring which supports the driver's seat is applied to the upper end o1: the standard E, so that the weight (or center of gravity) will fall behind the axle-tree B, and thus relieve the horses from tbe weight of the forward part of the machine, and also that of the driver.

In Figs. 5 and 6 I have shown in detail anew form of box for receiving the standards m ot the plows J K. These boxes N are cast with a vertical opening through them t'or the reception of the plow-standards. The lower opening in the more solid portion of the box is made somewhat smaller in width than the upper opening, and both openings should be made of suflicient width to allow the standard m a slight play, as will be further explained. These boxes consist of a lower solid portion, n,

through which bolts are passed that secure the boxes to the beams D D', and an open contracted portion, n', which is formed with a view to combine the greatest strength with lightness, and which projects above the upper surface of the plow-beams. These boxes may be cast in one solid piece, or they may be cast in parts and bolted together. The plow-standards m are secured to the boxes N by means'of a screw at o, which forms a pivot-connection, and also by means of wedges pp, which are driven down between the forks and the edges of the standard at the upper end ofthe boxes,

. as shown in Figs. 1 and 5. By means of these wedgespp the standards can be rigidly tixed in position, and by means of the screw or pivot o, together with the wedges p p, the standard can be inclined and the point ot the plow given any desired pitch, and the whole secured rigidly in the desired position. For this purpose o ne of the wedges is driven down until the desired pitch has been obtained, when the other wedge is driven in place. By removing the wedges and loosening the screw o the standards can be adjusted vertically and again fixed in place, as above described. By means ot' boxes constructed as described I obtain two points ot' support for the plow-standards, and

am also enabled to incline the standards for regulating the pitch ofthe plow-point without loosening the pivot-screw o. .l also obtain a more firm attachment of the plows to their breaking-plows; but in conjunction with these boxes I have applied a supplemental box, P., to beam D, in rear ofthe box N, for the purpose of receiving the standard ot' a subsoil-plow, SK, which it is desired to employ in connection with the forward breaking-plow. By means of this box P, applied as described in rear of the foremost box, N, I am enabled to use an auxiliary plow for stirring and turning up the subsoil when it is desired to plow very deep, or deeper than can be practically done with the large breakin g-plow.

It will be obvious that instead of wedgefastenings screws may he used for adjusting the upper ends of the plow-beams. Two screws would be used for each standard-box, or one setscrew and one wedge.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s

1. Thecombination ofthe pulleys h h', endless chain t, and adjusting-lever G with pivoted plow-beams D D', attached to the tongue G' in front of the axle-tree, all operating substantially as described.

2. The manner herein described of uniting the two parts ot' the axle and the hounds, so that when the axle is extended in length or shortened the hounds will be adjusted to operate therewith, as set forth.

3. The laterally-adjustable pulley-standard E, in combination with the laterally-adjustable hounds C, plow-beams D D', and extensible axle-tree B, substantially as described.

4. The combination of the pivoted plowbeams D, extensible axle-tree B, and laterallyadjustable hounds C, in the manner and for the purpose specified.

5. The specified construction of standardboxes N, so that they afford two bearings or supports, n n,while made in one piece, N,and otherwise operate with wedges or set-screws, for the purpose set forth.

J. L. RUNK.

Witnesses:

J. C. BURNS, D. H. VERNOR. 

